


Weightless Wonder

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Astronauts, Gen, Microgravity, Vomit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 06:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14443119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	Weightless Wonder

“We’re surrounded by children,” Former Air Force General David Rossi laughed. It’s not like they weren’t already six months into their training for the first ever mission to Mars in 2021, but it was still difficult for him to comprehend how much older he was than the majority of his team. “Hotch, they’re babies.”

A former Major General in the Air Force, Aaron Hotchner was slightly younger than General Rossi, but definitely the second oldest in the group. “You say that almost every day, Dave,” he said with a smile.

A degree was just the start. Hotch’s Bachelor’s degree in engineering and Rossi’s BS in biology was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what they had to learn. Then came classes and medical training, training in the KC-135, training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, training on the Precision Air-Bearing Floor…

It had been a lifelong dream for most of these candidates to be on the first flight to Mars, but now that it was happening, things were becoming more real. “How much you wanna bet the young ones start hurling their guts up in the KC-135?” Rossi suggested, holding out his hand. “$50 that two of them hurl.”

Hotch grabbed his friend and former general’s hand. “I’ll take that bet. They don’t call it the Vomit Comet for nothing. I say three. Garcia, Morgan and Prentiss.”

“Really?” Rossi asked. “I’ve got Garcia and Reid.”

****

“Is there anything you don’t know?” Dr. Derek Morgan asked facetiously. Dr. Spencer Reid could really talk someone’s ear off. With his bachelor’s degree in botany and Ph.D.’s in mathematics and geology, it seemed like the young doctor had an endless supply of knowledge. Derek had always considered himself smart (his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering reflecting that) but Reid sounded like he was straight out of a brochure.

Spencer didn’t even acknowledge the sarcasm of the older man, whether it was because he didn’t hear him or didn’t know what to say. “The NASA Reduced Gravity Program began in 1959 and the KC-135 was the perfect aircraft.” He was wide-eyed with wonder. Unlike most of the others, who’d developed their love of space as teenagers and adults, Spencer had been dreaming of going into space since he was five years old. He was convinced that there had to be some way for him to touch the stars.

“Alright, candidates!” 

The group was addressed by one of their many trainers. This one was Dr. Nathan Saluja, who was particularly skilled in the ways of the Vomit Comet, and leader of the flight crew; he’d been training wannabe astronauts for nearly 25 years. “As I heard Dr. Reid begin, the KC-135 is the perfect aircraft for training in microgravity. The Boeing four-engine turbojet Stratotanker was designed for refueling in flight, and was later used for commercial flights. Since that time, NASA has modified the craft for the purpose of giving astronauts firsthand training regarding gravity’s effect on our bodies.”

“I’m so nervous,” Penelope Garcia exclaimed quietly, clapping her hands excitedly as she stood between the two other women on her mission. “Like excited, but nervous.” She thought completing her Ph.D. in computer systems networking and telecommunications was the most nerve-wracking thing she’d ever go through, but as she stood before the KC-135, she realized she was very, very wrong. No matter. This was a dream - one of the seemingly unattainable ones - she wasn’t about to let fear stand in her way. 

Jennifer Jareau, an expert in environmental engineering technology and environmental science, placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You might want to shake that off. This is the Vomit Comet.” As a mother who’d gone through a big bitchy bout of morning sickness with her son, she wasn’t afraid of the threat of throwing up, but Garcia was definitely not used to this.

Emily Prentiss, astrophysics expert extraordinaire, wasn’t nervous in the slightest. All she wanted to do was get on board. “Seriously, JJ’s right. The next two to three hours are going to consist of us flying around in parabolic arcs with intermittent periods of complete and total weightlessness. Considering my party days in college, I’m prepared for the throwing up.”

After getting into their amazingly baggy flight suits, the group of seven entered the aircraft armed with barf bags. “I won’t need it,” Spencer said confidently.

“Oh really?” Rossi wasn’t convinced. 

“Nope. I’ve been training for this. I did the astronaut experience as a kid multiple times. I’m ready to go.” Spencer’s smile could’ve outshone the stars. He was so excited. “You doubt me Rossi?”

“A little bit,” he chuckled. 

“I bet $50 I don’t vomit and $100 that you do.” Spencer was getting cocky.

“Okay, I’ll take that bet.” Today was going to be some quick money.

They were all offered motion sickness meds, which reduced their chances of getting sick to one in ten rather than one in three without it. “It’s not the zero-g that gets you,” Spencer said. “It’s the assent. It basically gives you the feeling of your intestines being pulled downward.” His eyes said he couldn’t wait. 

At his side, Penelope looked extra nervous. “Really?”

“Yup, the assent has a strong effect on the fluids in your ears which affect your sense of balance. That’s what makes you nauseous,” Spencer replied.

Once they were all strapped in, the started upward to cruising altitude. “Ready Emily?” Spencer asked. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

“Absolutely.”

“Candidates, we’re starting our assent!” As the plane moved upward, the captain’s foot glued to the gas pedal, varying stages of emotion could be seen throughout the aircraft. The NASA crew was expectant, probably waiting for the first person to get sick and taking bets of their own. Penelope and Emily already looked a bit sick to their stomachs. Rossi was calm and collected, as was Hotch. Spencer was practically vibrating in his seat he was so excited, and Morgan was too busy laughing at Spencer’s jubilance to pay attention to anything else. JJ looked like a professional, actually beginning to engage some of the crew in conversation. 

All of a sudden, it felt different. Morgan was the first to give himself a light push away from the wall of the plane. “Woahhhh,” he said, smiling. “This is so weird!”

Spencer followed suit and flew across to the other side of the jet while the rest of the team began moving around slowly but surely. As former pilots, Rossi and Hotch had dealt with g-forces before, but this was something else entirely. “Morgan’s right, this is weird,” Hotch laughed.

Rossi didn’t say anything. As cocky as he’d been, his stomach was in knots. When the plane began it’s second assent, they all fell back to the walls and floors, gravity once again taking hold. “That was amazing!” Emily screamed. “I was floating. Reid, I was floating.” It was an almost indescribable feeling. Like realizing a dream. Something you never thought would happen.

“I know! It’s so cool. I’m so glad we get to do it another 25-30 times today!” 

Penelope was turning green. It was only a matter of time. The second time, JJ attempted ‘walking’ across the floor, which was actually much harder than it looked. She jetted across the plane screaming, “I am the weightless wonder!”

Over and over again, the crew and team-in-training flew through assents and small bouts of weightlessness, with Penelope finally caving in and reaching for a bar bag during assent number 10. “This is so weird. It’s still cool, but woah…My brain was meant for this, my body was not.”

Emily was just about as starry eyed as Reid was at this point. “That’s because during the assent your body feels like it weighs approximately 180 % more than it already does. Then we go over the arc and feel weightless. On the descent, we are actually falling nearly 9,000 feet, so it’s like we’re sky-diving but without a parachute and in an enclosed space.” 

As she slipped back toward the wall for the plane’s next assent, she kicked excitedly. Everyone was basically used to the feeling at this point save for Garcia and what looked like Rossi. Next time up they would do a couple of small tests to determine if they could work some necessary mechanics while floating. This was where Garcia excelled. With something to focus on, she no longer felt ill.

“Last assent!” Dr. Saluja called. 

Spencer looked so sad. “Don’t worry kid, we’re going to Mars. You’ll get to do this again,” Morgan said, patting his friend on the back. During the final assent, Rossi couldn’t take it anymore and pulled out his barf bag.

“Sooooo…” Hotch said softly. “I think you owe me.”

“Technically, I was still right. It was only two people.” Rossi tried desperately to avoid eye contact with the young Dr. Reid. But it didn’t work.

“And I believe you owe me $150. I didn’t, you did. Pay up!”


End file.
